Drivers were forced to sit on the roofs of their cars as floods hit Quezon City.
Vince Abellanida and other motorists were stranded at a waterlogged, congested petrol station in Araneta Avenue, Quezon City, on August 30.
Footage shows stationary vehicles scattered along the hip-deep roadway after continuous rainfall battered the region.
The wife of Vince Abellanida, Kit, uploaded the video on Facebook.
“Flood control project daw?!Pero ayan, stranded si asawa ko sa ibabaw ng sasakyan sa Araneta Avenue! Isang malakas na ulan lang, ganito na agad ang baha?!” Kit wrote.
“Wag kayong lulusong—delikado, baka leptospirosis ang sumalubong!” she warned motorists.
The Philippines and neighboring Southeast Asian countries are entering their annual monsoon season, marked by soaring temperatures followed by intense rainstorms.
The region’s low-lying geography, inadequate drainage systems, and rapid urbanisation make it especially vulnerable to flooding.
Limited infrastructure often struggles to handle the heavy rainfall, resulting in widespread flash floods.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a full audit of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) flood control initiatives, along with lifestyle checks on officials and public disclosure of projects.
The directive came after reports of corruption, ghost projects, and disproportionate contract awards linked to flood control programs since 2022.
“I recently inspected the aftermath of typhoons Crising (Wipha), Dante (Francisco), Emong (Co-may), and the southwest monsoon. I saw that many flood control projects were poorly built and have collapsed, while others were simply imaginary,” he said in Filipino.
Local media reported that more than 6,000 flood control projects worth P350 billion (approximately 4.9 billion GBP) lacked essential details, raising concerns over transparency in government infrastructure spending.
At least 15 contractors are now under investigation after cornering a combined P545 billion (approximately 7.63 billion GBP) program budget.
READ: Vico Sotto links Discayas to top flood control contractors
Meanwhile, public outrage has grown as residents criticized the families of those contractors, exposing their lavish lifestyles and condemning the misuse of public funds.
(1 PHP = 0.013 GBP)
— Rosette Adel; Newsflare via Reuters Connect
READ: Why your social media feed is flooded with ‘lifestyle checks’ | ‘Already working’: Pinoys join in the sarcasm as Edu Manzano pokes fun at contractors’ lavish lifestyles
